THE arrival of Bruno Ngotty might upset the applecart as far as Wanderers' tried and trusted centre-backs are concerned but it's a sure sign that Sam Allardyce is not prepared to let the grass grow under his feet.

As delighted as he has been to see his team make such a flying start, the Reebok boss is still not happy with the strength of his squad - hence his determination to secure the Ngotty deal and his pursuit of Spain striker Kiko.

Praise where praise is due, he has been quick to recognise the contributions of Gudni Bergsson and Mike Whitlow at the heart of his defence and the impact Michael Ricketts has made in his first three Premiership appearances. He also has quality back-up in the shape of Colin Hendry, Dean Holdsworth and others but he has never hidden his desire to recruit fresh, quality talent - despite still having to operate under tight financial constraints.

"They are doing themselves proud," the manager said in tribute to his table-toppers, "but my job is to improve on what we've got and the best time to be doing that is while we are winning games."

Down the years good managers have followed the same principle - better to buy when in a position of strength than under pressure.

But any old signing won't do. Allardyce has once again had to be patient and he has suffered a setback or two along the way. But he has made no compromises.

Having finally drawn a line under the Sylvain Distin affair, he didn't need asking twice when he learned that French crisis club Marseille were listening to offers for Ngotty - a player with a magnificent track record.

Capped six times by France, he has been a regular throughout his career with Lyon, Paris St Germain, AC Milan and Marseille in 13 top flight seasons.

"It's a very impressive pedigree," the manager acknowledged.

The only drawback - Ngotty is yet another player to arrive at the Reebok who can't speak English but Allardyce, who added Djibril Diawara and Akinori Nishizawa to his ranks in the summer, wasn't going to let the language barrier stand in his way.

"It can be a little difficult bringing in foreign players," he acknowledged. "They have to settle into your way of life because it's a way of life 24 hours a day, seven days a week and that can be difficult for someone who comes in from abroad.

"But they are a lot cheaper than they are in this country, fortunately."